The Proven Word

THE PROVEN WORD 06-01-2020

Psalm 27:1 says,

“The Lord is my Light and My Salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the Stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?”

Watching what has been happening in our world today is enough to raise any ones blood pressure to dangerous levels. Not only are we dealing with an invisible enemy called Covid 19, we are also now faced with extreme Civil Unrest brought about by acts of injustice by one human being to another fellow human being. The bad things we are capable of inflicting on each other are often breathtakingly incomprehensible and utterly frightening. We cannot ignore that at some level one person’s evil act has some impact on all of us because we share the same human nature. Fear is a weapon that destroys human dignity. Those who are inflicted by it damages their soul - those who Inflict it loses theirs. Unless the heart receives the light of Salvation, the curse of fear will never be broken. The Scriptures reveal to us that the Lord is the light. In Him is no darkness at all. A clear sign that we have received salvation is an undeniable power to overcome fear. Our salvation in Jesus Christ gives us among other things a sense of courage that defies any external threats - both seen and unseen. It’s a courage rooted in the overcoming power of the cross. Just remember, If Jesus conquered death, there is nothing we will face in life that can destroy our hope.

THE PROVEN WORD 5-25-2020

Psalm 16:11 says

“You will show me the path of life. In your presence is fullness of joy. At your right hand are pleasures forevermore”

To the one who trusts in God, who relies on His infinite power and wisdom, and who’s confidence rests in His love, such a person will never lose his or her way. Perhaps that is such a bold statement to proclaim. After all, we are all just humans with faults, frailties, and failures. But it is important to understand that God knows all of our faults, frailties, and failures. Yes!! He knows ALL of them. Even the ones we ourselves don’t know and have yet to commit. That’s the real power of TRUSTING GOD. We may stumble in life but we will never lose our way because He as the Psalm says, will show us and continue to show us the path of life. Not only that, He also assures us that He doesn’t abandon us in our darkest moments. In fact, the promise is that we will have joy because we know He is present. And just when we think His Guidance and the joy of His presence are enough to sustain us in and through our Journey, He caps it by lifting us up from our predicaments and turns our life with all its griefs and heartaches into a life that pleases Him. I encourage you to trust in God while dealing with the issues you face. You may not see it at the moment. But God is doing something profoundly magnificent in your life.

THE PROVEN WORD 5-18-2020

“He’s Got You Covered”

1 Peter 5:6-10 says,

Humble yourselves therefore, under God’s mighty hand that He may lift you up in due time. Cast All your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.

These words were written to convince us that God covers us with His grace in the areas of our life in which we are most vulnerable. Namely, the Anxieties of life, the consistent attacks from the Devil, and the deceptive effect of suffering that makes us think our problems are unique and that we are the only one suffering them. These dark trinity of doom can render us helpless and defenseless. But there’s GREAT NEWS. These battles are NOT for us to FIGHT. They are God’s battles. Our part is simple!! CRY!! That’s right just CRY!! Sounds cowardly or defeatist you might say. Not really. The Acronym CRY stands for Concede, Rely, and Yield. Our Scriptures says we are to Humble ourselves by CONCEDING our own power and ability in favor of God’s mighty power. Humility before God is true power. Humility is necessary for us to RELY on God. We are to CAST or throw out all our anxious thoughts and RELY completely on God’s time and purpose for our lives. We are then to YIELD all the outcomes and results on God’s Grace!! And you know what, when we read the rest of our verses, God promises that after we suffered a little while, God Himself will lift us up making us stronger, more stable, and faithful. So stop worrying!! He’s got you covered!!

THE PROVEN WORD 05-11-2020

Feeling overwhelmed and discouraged by all the things that are going on in your life? Do you sometimes wonder why peace and tranquility seem so elusive that for every minute of peace there is an hour of chaos? Take heart!! There is good news. You and I can reverse that trend. The Word of God in Psalm 5:11-12 declares,

“But let All who take refuge in you be glad: let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them. That those who love your name may rejoice in you. For surely oh Lord you bless the righteous you surround them with your favor as a shield.”

A few words of encouragement for all of us: First, let us not view gladness as a wish or a desire. Instead, let us look at Gladness as a Command. We are exhorted to take refuge in the Lord with NO hesitation or reservation. We get overwhelmed because we want the storm to stop rather than to find shelter in the midst of the storm. God is our Shelter and help in times of trouble.

Second, God is not the author of chaos and confusion that happen in life. Sure he has the sovereign power to permit them but to even think that God is behind the evil that happens to us is utterly preposterous. God wants you and I to counter our troubles with sacred faith. By that I mean faith that honors God in the presence of trials and tribulations.

Lastly, let us never doubt that God will give us not only the strength to withstand our troubles but He will infuse our commitment to trust Him with divine joy. This is the “Game Changer”. This is when God does not take away the trouble but gives us the power to have a different attitude and outlook towards them. This is how we glorify God’s name in spite of the trouble we’re in. It’s all in our attitude.

THE PROVEN WORD 04-27-2020

Philippians 4:4-5 Encourages and admonishes us to “Rejoice in the Lord Always. I will say it again rejoice. Let your Gentleness be evident to All. The Lord is NEAR. During these very trying times when many of us are uncertain about the future, it is easy to get frustrated, worried, even angry. We get easily triggered and we lash out at anyone from those in the highest places of authority all the way down to those closest to us within our own homes. But these verses Command us to do 3 thing; Rejoice, Rejoice again, and be Gentle. Definitely not an easy command considering the circumstances. But why the admonition? Because the Lord is NEAR. We should focus our faith in the nearness of Lord. The Nearness of God represents His

N-Never Failing love for us.

E- Ever present help in out time of need

A-All Mighty Power to Deliver us.

R- Reassurance of our Restoration.

Because God is Near, There’s nothing to Fear

THE PROVEN WORD 04-20-2020

“Compassion and Grace will always impress God and He rewards us in return”(Read Psalm 41:1-3)

In days like these when fear, uncertainty, anger, and a whole hosts of other negative emotions, wisdom says, “Do the Opposite”. Challenging times present an opportunity to show Kindness and grace to those who are hurting. The Psalmist of Psalm 41 assures us that our regard for the weak will not be overlooked by God. He says that such acts of compassion and Graciousness will cause God to;

1. Deliver and Preserve us from Trouble. Nothing really moves the heart of God than to see his Children imitating His His attitude towards the weak. He Responds by showing us the same grace when we too get into trouble

2. Bless and Protect us wherever we are. The amazing thing about God’s blessing and protection is that it is portable. We can be blessed and protected no matter where we are geographically and whatever station we are in life circumstantially. His presence never leaves us.

3. He will not Surrender us to our enemies. We may not have physical enemies but we have plenty of spiritual ones. The Devil hates kindness and grace and he will surely attack us and accuse us when we act on those virtues. But God will not allow him to triumph over our faith.

4. Restore and Sustain us in our illness. Wow!! Building a reputation of Compassion and Grace for ourselves can be a good source of divine healing. It is good to know that God will not take us home with Him until His purpose for our life is complete. And as long as we can reflect his kindness and grace in the world, our usefulness to God will be a good basis to pray for a long life.

Reach out to the weak!! Show compassion and grace. There is something in it for you!!!

THE PROVEN WORD 04-13-2020

You will make it.

Romans 8:28 declares, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose” at a glance, this verse might seem too good to be true. But it is indeed true or God would not have placed it in His Word. I think we often read this verse and say to ourselves, This cannot possibly be true for me. All things can’t possibly work for my good,,we say because perhaps we think we have not been able to live up to some condition that God has placed in those He called. Perhaps I am one who have failed to heed the call to his purpose. Perhaps, I have to clean up all my failures and missteps first before I qualify for such a lofty promise. To think such things is to diminish the power of God. The truth is, God knows everything about us that’s why he made it easy for us to access his promises. He only asks for Faith!! Imagine that!! God says just trust in Jesus name!! He’s the one who was able to meet all that God required of us!! It is Jesus who rescued us and will continue to rescue us until the day we see Him face to face. His Grace is more that sufficient that’s why we are more than conquerors. Don’t let another problem, sorrow, fear or distress take you by surprise. You will make it! God will make all things work for you!! He loves you! More than you are willing to accept.

The Proven Word 4-6-2020

Joy Drives our Faith

It may seem insensitive to ask anyone to Rejoice! Considering the magnitude of the misery brought about by the CONVID 19 virus all over the world. But consider the alternative responses; fear, anger,,anxiety, sorrow, pain, chaos, violence, we could go on and on. As Followers of Jesus we have a great opportunity to show the world that we have something better. Joy! Joy cannot be attained from this world. It is a supernatural gift from heaven. It does not depend on any persons word or any extenuating circumstances. It is driven by our faith in Jesus. As our faith gets stronger, our joy gets more real and stable. Joy begins to be denounce desires in us that conflicts with God’s purposes. These misdirected desires tend to take the place of real joy. Joy also diminishes our doubts about the Lord. It solidifies our resolve to stay true with our commitment to God. Lastly, joy develops our full Devotion. Joy gives us staying power. It strengthens our resolve. In the midst of these dark days we can all echo the words of the Apostle Paul when he says, “Rejoice in the Lord Always” and again I say Rejoice.

The Proven Word 3-30-2020

The Peace of God

I think It was Chuck Swindoll who said, A million dollar bed don’t buy us a good night’s sleep”. That could never be more true and applicable in what our world has been dealing with these past few weeks. The Pandemic that is COVID-19 has instilled a deep sense of fear, uncertainty, sorrow, and anger in the hearts of countless people all over the Globe. We thank and honor those who have placed their lives on the line to help find a cure for this menace and are doing what they can to help those who have been infected. But we need something more powerful than human effort to make it through these dark times. We need the PEACE of God to penetrate our hearts and soul. We need God’s supernatural intervention to help us and encourage us to rise above this situation. Only the Peace of God offers hope that is sure. Remember, in Jesus the King, we have Peace with God through our saving knowledge of the Gospel. We also have Peace from God which is a supernatural peace that sustains us in circumstances far beyond human control and understanding. Lastly, there is the Peace of God which is God’s providential peace. The kind that gives us confidence each and every waking moment of our lives.

You see,if we have Peace, we have everything.

The Proven Word 3-22-2020

We are encouraged to Wash our hands frequently, keep a considerable distance away from anyone, if we’re feeling ill, go get tested, and unless it’s absolutely necessary , stay at home. These are instructions that when followed, will slow down if not completely eradicate the spread of the dreaded COVID-19 virus. And, we are wise to heed them. There is however, one thing that we must include with these instructions. And that is, you guessed it - PRAYER. We are in the words of experts, fighting a war against an Invisible enemy when referring to the Corona Pandemic. But there’s an invisible enemy that is waging a war against humanity that is much more lethal and formidable -UNBELIEF. It is the root of fear, hopelessness, despair, and desperation, among many others. It is the greatest single attitude that gives permission to the enemy of our soul to gain a foothold and bring havoc in our lives. How do we overcome unbelief? Along with prayer we must Wash our Souls with the Word, Keep a considerable distance from sin, If you’re feeling down, ask someone to pray for you, and lastly, find a church to call home and stay there.